Crystal Palace ended the Premier League season like a house on fire this year, and while plenty of fans probably welcomed the conclusion of the long and tiring campaign, the Selhurst Park faithful must be eager to see their side play again.
New boss Oliver Glasner has completely rejuvenated a team that looked stagnant under Roy Hodgson and turned them into one of the most exciting sides in the country, one capable of smashing Manchester United 4-0 and Aston Villa 5-0 at home.
The Austrian deserves plenty of credit, but he has been helped by having some genuinely excellent players in his team, like Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, and based on recent reports, the club could soon sign him another exciting attacking talent.
Crystal Palace transfer news
According to a recent report from Spain, Crystal Palace are among several clubs interested in Arsenal's talented academy product Emile Smith Rowe.
The story has revealed that, alongside the Eagles, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Aston Villa are also keen on the Englishman and that he could be available for as little as €25m, which converts to about £21m.
It might prove challenging to compete with Villa for the midfielder's signature, but given Palace's location near his place of birth, Croydon, ability to offer more playing time and an excellent manager, there is every chance they could come out on top.
If Steve Parish and Co can get this deal over the line, then they should, as handing Glasner a player as talented as Smith Rowe for his first transfer at the club would show a sign of intent that can only help bring the club forward.
How Smith Rowe would fit into the Palace team
Now, with the way Glasner has his side playing and the talented players he already has at his disposal, some might question where Smith Rowe would fit into Palace, but there lies one of the 23-year-old's biggest strengths: his versatility.
Attacking Midfield
52
17
Left-Sided Midfielder
25
12
Central Midfielder
10
0
Right-Sided Midfielder
3
0
Left-Winger
3
0
Centre-Forward
2
0
In his 115 appearances for the Arsenal first team, the Hale End graduate has started as an attacking midfielder, left-sided midfielder, central midfielder, right-sided midfielder, left-winger and even a centre-forward.
So, if the Eagles maintain their 3-4-2-1 formation going into next season, the Croydon-born ace could comfortably step into the middle of the park alongside Adam Wharton to allow Eze and Olise to keep their place as the two central attacking midfielders.
However, if the manager opts to use a more traditional formation incorporating wingers, the Arsenal star could start wide or in attacking midfield, depending on where his teammates are starting.
Moreover, while the "special talent", as described by Jamie Carragher, has struggled for game time in North London over the last couple of years, his output and form when given a real run of games was seriously impressive.
Appearances
33
37
Goals
4
11
Assists
7
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.33
0.35
For example, in the 2020/21 season, he returned four goals and seven assists in 33 games before doing even better the following year, returning 11 goals and two assists in 37 games.
Ultimately, while his name might not conjure the same level of excitement that it did a few years ago, Smith Rowe is still a relatively young and tremendously talented player who, alongside Olise and Eze – the contributors of 33 goals and assists this season – could help Glasner's Palace reach another level next season.
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